Potting Up Tomato Seedlings a.k.a. Buying Time in the Garden (Our First Video!)

Potting Up Tomato Seedlings a.k.a. Buying Time in the Garden (Our First Video!)

This entry was posted on 05/19/2011 by Ken Greene.

Are your seedlings getting leggy, turning pale, or other wise begging to be planted?

The cool wet weather has delayed our planting schedule by about three weeks. We've snuck in some plantings by carefully hand preparing beds, but the bulk of the back field is too soaked to work.

It's best to avoid working the soil when it's this muddy. Wet soil compacts more easily, transplants don't like to be waterlogged, and seeds can drown. These challenges are not reason enough to throw up our hands in despair.

If you are facing similar obstacles, or even if you haven't been able to transplant your seedlings becasue you've been too busy, there are ways to buy time in your garden. We've made this short How-To Pot Up Tomato Seedlings video so you can see a bit of the farm, our hoophouse, and see first hand how we take care of our little seedlings until they can sink their roots into cozy beds.

Summary:

1. Place potting soil in bottom of larger container.

2. Remove tomato seedling from tray.

3. Remove lower leaves and gently loosen roots.

4. Place in container.

5. Fill in with soil. Soil should cover first 1-2 inches of tomato stem (you can also bury tomatillos in this same way, but other seedlings should be potted up at regular depth without being sunk into soil).